Nthatuoa Koeshe
The government has deployed national security forces to help police quell the rising crime in the country, Prime Minister Dr Moeketsi Majoro last night announced.
Majoro said the government had observed with trepidation incidents of heinous criminal acts that are escalating.
“House-breaking, armed robberies, murder, rape, Gender-based Violence (GBV) are on the rise as reported by law enforcement agencies and the media,†he said.
He said fear and insecurity had spread like wildfire and normal business and economic activity is being disrupted.
“It is a sworn duty of any government to provide security for its people. It is for this reason that I have directed the law enforcement and national security forces to deploy in earnest to speedily curb the rising trend of serious crime.
“As I speak deployments are taking place across cities and countryside and the government is prepared to escalate the corrective measures if necessary,†he said.
The Prime Minister also revealed that some politicians and members of the law enforcement agencies were linked to criminals terrorizing the nation.
“We have learned that some of the criminal activities which have been happening are led by known groups which include some law enforcement agencies members,†he said.
According to the prime minister, law enforcement agencies work together with criminals to ensure that their criminal activities are not intercepted.
When they have been intercepted and arrested, they ensure that captured criminals are released or given bail quickly.
“Some politicians unashamedly negotiate for the criminals to be released. This is a clear indication that some politicians work with these criminals,†he said.
Majoro said some of these members of the security agencies suspected of being involved in criminal activities have already been arrested.
